NORTH CAROLINA, USA — Nature-based solutions are increasingly taking root around the country.
As the world celebrates Earth Day, a group is working with the power of nature to help solve problems.
“Nature-based solutions are just using nature to solve problems,” Simone Maloz, the campaign director for Restore the Mississippi River Delta, told WCNC Charlotte.
While the organization mainly works to rebuild coastal Louisiana’s landscape to protect people, wildlife and even jobs, that work also spreads into the Carolinas.
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“A specific nature-based solution that is rooted in the agriculture community [in the Carolinas] is a practice that farmers have been using called "cover crops," Maloz explained. "Cover crops are things like rye or oats, planted in-between primary crops or in-between seasons."
Maloz said planting cover crops helps prevent soil erosion. It also helps keep nutrients in the ground, preventing them from ending up in the water system.
“We think about how we can protect nature, but we can really think about how nature can protect us,” Maloz said.
In 2019, officials in North Carolina developed the Natural and Working Lands Action Plan.
This plan builds on ways to protect, restore, and improve the lands and coastal areas that provide vital health, social, economic, and environmental benefits.
“A lot of times, communities have learned lessons the hard way, but we want to be able to share that information with others. Coastal Louisiana has a great relationship with so many communities along the east coast sharing what we’ve learned after storms and recovery from storms,” Maloz said.
Contact Nick Sturdivant at nsturdiva1@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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